Human and mammalian health is impacted by the spread of microbial organisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Microbial organisms continue to cause a variety of sicknesses and ailments. In the wake of widespread microbial organism infections, the public has become even further concerned with sanitization, both of person and property. Consequently, there has been an extensive research on the development of suitable antimicrobial compositions, in particular of antimicrobial compositions that provide immediate and residual kill of microbial organisms.
Currently, there exist several compositions and methods for reducing and/or eliminating microbial organisms from various surfaces. Conventional antimicrobial cleansing products such as hard surface cleaners and surgical disinfectants are typically formulated to provide bacteria removal during washing. Only a few such products have been shown to provide a residual effectiveness against Gram-positive bacteria; however, even such compositions provide only limited residual effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria. By “residual effectiveness,” it is meant that the subject antimicrobial controls microbial growth on a substrate by either preventing growth of microbes or engaging in continuous kill of microbes for some period of time following the washing and/or rinsing process.
Furthermore, many conventional antimicrobial compositions have unpleasant odor or are chemically harsh and can cause irritation. Moreover, most conventional antimicrobial compositions are relatively ineffective against vegetative bacteria that are “dormant.” Vegetative bacteria are bacteria or microogranisms that can grow and reproduce in rich, moist soil where many nutrients are available. The actively growing bacteria in these conditions are referred to as “vegetative cells.” Many types of bacteria and fungi can flourish under these conditions. Some examples of bacteria and fungi that can actively reproduce in this kind of soil are Bacillus, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Mycobacterium, and Clostridium. Mycobacterium tuberculosis can cause the disease tuberculosis, and Clostridium botulinum can cause botulism poisoning.
When soil nutrients or moisture are depleted, bacteria from the genus of Bacillus and Clostridium produce an endospore inside each vegetative cell. Once the vegetative cell (active bacteria) no longer has enough nutrients or moisture to survive, it releases the endospore. The endospore can remain viable for very long periods. When the right conditions return for growth, the endospore creates another vegetative cell, and the bacteria becomes active again. Some fungi produce spores in a similar fashion.
Therefore, there is a need for antimicrobial compositions that are effective against vegetative microbial organisms. There is also a need for antimicrobial compositions that do not have unpleasant odor.